No scrimping on style, innovation

By Howard J. Elmer, Postmedia News

Originally published: October 21, 2010

Atlanta: In 2004, BMW launched the X3 — a new SUV that played to a premium market that wanted SUV ownership without the guilt associated with “large” trucks.

BMW even used the term Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV), a seemingly slight shift from the more familiar SUV — but a world of difference to the eco-minded.

Did this marketing strategy work?

Well, sales numbers are one barometer (more than 600,000 sold worldwide), but a better one perhaps is the number of imitators that entered the small premium SUV market since then — a group that has been gaining sales ground on this original.

For 2011, the X3 is updated for its second generation, keeping pace with its competitors while also bringing some very new and innovative technologies to this platform, which is to be built in an all-new US$750-million expansion of BMW’s Spartanburg, S.C. plant.

Driving through the Georgia countryside I noted the changed interior. It’s not so much the controls and layout; instead, the materials and finishes are much improved. Soft-touch plastics with two-tone colours contrast with highlighted stitching in the leather, and even door panels get new wood trim treatments. But what struck me as really neat was the heads-up display that also included simple navigation instructions.

Don’t forget that on a press drive I never know where I am, so I either have someone reading directions in the passenger seat or I have to follow the often busy instructions on the navigation screen (that is always below eye/road level). Well, this time, projected right onto the windshield was a simple arrow showing the direction of travel and a distance (in km, then metres) that descended until it spelled out the road name I needed and the arrow showed me which way to turn. No electronic yapping from the Nav and no mistakes by the navigator. Well, golly! I thought Germans only made things complicated.

Other new features on this second-gen X3 include EPS (Electric Power Steering) and an eight-speed automatic transmission, items already found in the larger, more expensive X5 and X6. The eight-speed transmission, though, needs further mention because it’s a marvel. It has two extra gears in a casing that weighs no more than its six-speed predecessor, and an operation that is seamless and virtually silent. It’s that good. What do those two gears gain you? Well, the ratios from lowest to highest gear add acceleration and throttle response across the speed range. Also, the two highest gears add significant highway fuel economy. Yet, the system is so advanced that when you mash the accelerator it can downshift directly from eighth gear to second for kick-ass acceleration.

Surrounding these tech updates is a longer, wider body with an increased wheelbase stance and updated look. Add these together and the X3 remains small while getting larger, adds power while getting better fuel economy and it costs less.

Size-wise, the X3 is reaching X5-like proportions, making it more comfortable, particularly for the second row, and adding some cargo room as well. Outside, it definitely looks larger. The rear in particular takes on a more mature trapezoidal look with new large T-shaped tail lamps. They’re all good changes.

Two models will be offered: the 28i and the 35i. Each features the 3.0-litre straight-six engine (either turbocharged or not) and the eight-speed automatic. Each is equipped with BMW’s xDrive all-wheel-drive system. This on-road drive system splits normal torque 40% front and 60% rear. However, this ratio is constantly shifting based on sensor inputs from several systems in the vehicle. For instance, the front wheels are controlled by a multi-disc clutch that can be fully open (meaning 100% of the power is going to the rear), fully engaged or at any level of engagement in between. But the system can also go one step further. On curves where the outside wheel rotates faster than the inside one, xDrive also shifts torque side to side, increasing grip on the pavement.

On the winding backroads of Georgia, the X3 felt as stuck to the road as a June bug on a bumper. In fact, while centrifugal force pushed my head to the outside of the curve, I could feel my butt wanting to suck to the inside.

Add to this the precise, controlled feel of the new EPS and you have a truck that rides like a sports car. I suppose that’s the point, particularly when looking at the wider stance of the new X3 and the upgraded five-link rear suspension.

For even more road-carving ability, the X3 will also offer an optional Electronic Damping Control — a system that adjusts the shock absorbers on the fly to any level of firmness, quickly adapting to road conditions and the driver’s demands. This brings me to the modest off-road portion of the drive I did. Suspension feel in this SAV is stiff — with good reason. The sports car-like feel comes at the expense of body height, so anything other than mild off-road stuff is out. Not that the xDrive couldn’t handle it — it could, but the ride height couldn’t. So, while BMW did provide me with the chance to drive a cottage-type road, it was best navigated at low speed, because the X3 does bottom out when driven faster.

As the current entry point into the X family, it’s nice to see that BMW doesn’t scrimp on the style, materials or tech in the X3 — even though the more expensive 5 and 6 series is where it would like buyers to head.

However, by building this dynamic first-timer’s SAV, BMW may well realize more up-market sales later. The X3 will go on sale in Canada in the first quarter of 2011.

Unfortunately, Canadian pricing won’t be available until closer to the vehicle’s arrival here; however, BMW has announced U.S. numbers, which give us a clue of what’s to come. Base pricing starts at US $37,625 for the BMW X3 xDrive 28i (240 hp), while the 300-hp turbocharged X3 xDrive 35i will start at US$41,925. Note that these prices are lower than those set for the current X3 in the U.S. — we can only hope that pricing in the Great White North is equally as aggressive.